DIGITAL Alpha VME 5/352 and 5/480_Single_Board_Computer_________________________ Firmware Update Procedures Digital Equipment Corporation Maynard, Massachusetts ________________________________________________________________ First Printing, December 1997 This revision, March 1999 Digital Equipment Corporation makes no representations that the use of its products in the manner described in this publication will not infringe on existing or future patent rights, nor do the descriptions contained in this publication imply the granting of licenses to make, use, or sell equipment or software in accordance with the description. Possession, use, or copying of the software described in this publication is authorized only pursuant to a valid written license from DIGITAL or an authorized sublicensor. FCC NOTICE: The equipment described in this manual generates, uses, and may emit radio frequency energy. The equipment has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A computing device pursuant to Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such radio frequency interference when operated in a commercial environment. Operation of this equipment in a residential area may cause interference, in which case the user at his own expense may be required to take measures to correct the interference. Copyright © Digital Equipment Corporation, 1997, 1998, 1999. All Rights Reserved. COMPAQ, the Compaq logo and the Digital logo Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Alpha AXP, DECchip, DECnet, DIGITAL, OpenVMS, ULTRIX, and VAX are trademarks of Compaq Computer Corporation. VxWorks is a registered trademark of Wind River Systems, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders. This document was prepared using VAX DOCUMENT Version 2.1. _________________________________________________________________ Contents Preface................................................... v 1 Overview of the Update Process 1.1 Supported CPU Modules and New Features........ 1-2 1.2 Operating System Firmware Revision Requirements.................................. 1-2 1.3 Firmware Update Files......................... 1-2 1.4 Updating the Firmware......................... 1-3 2 Preparing the System for a Firmware Update 2.1 Shutting Down the Operating System............ 2-1 2.2 Enable Updates................................ 2-2 2.3 Halting the System............................ 2-2 2.4 Disabling Automatic Boot Option............... 2-2 2.5 Disable Power-On Diagnostics.................. 2-2 2.6 Resetting the System.......................... 2-3 2.7 Identifying the Current Firmware and PALcode Versions...................................... 2-3 3 Updating the Firmware 3.1 Updating the Firmware from CD-ROM............. 3-1 3.1.1 Booting the Firmware Update Utility....... 3-2 3.1.2 Updating the Firmware..................... 3-3 3.2 Updating the Firmware from a Network Server... 3-4 3.2.1 Copying MOP and BOOTP Loadable Files from the CD-ROM................................ 3-4 3.2.2 Booting and Updating MOP.................. 3-5 3.2.3 Updating BOOTP............................ 3-6 iii 4 Post-Update Instructions Tables 1-1 Operating System Firmware Revision Requirements.............................. 1-2 1-2 Firmware Update Utility Files............. 1-2 iv _________________________________________________________________ Preface Purpose of This Guide This document discusses changes that have been made to the DIGITAL Alpha VME 5/xxx firmware since DIGITAL Alpha VME 5/xxx modules started shipping. This document also explains how to use the DIGITAL Alpha VME5 Firmware Update Utility to update DIGITAL Alpha VME 5/xxx firmware electronically. Intended Audience This document is for: o Manufacturing personnel responsible for updating DIGITAL Alpha VME 5/xxx firmware. o Repair personnel responsible for upgrading DIGITAL Alpha VME 5/xxx modules. o Individuals responsible for maintaining DIGITAL Alpha VME5 systems, typically field service representatives and system managers. New Features and Enhancements o Support has been added for multifunction PCI devices. o A problem with extended network downloads has been fixed. The root cause was a problem with collision detection being inadvertently turned off. o A spurious interrupt issue with the keyboard and mouse on the PMC I/O expansion module was corrected. The problem would occur when the keyboard and mouse were plugged in and no graphics card was attached to the system in the PMC I/O slots. v o A timeout value was adjusted for Vxworks systems to avoid retries during network booting of VxWorks. Conventions The following conventions are used in this guide: ___________________________________________________________ Convention_______Description_______________________________ RZ2x RZ2x refers to an RZ-series fixed disk drive, such as the RZ24L, RZ25, or RZ26. A key name in a box indicates that you press the corresponding key on the keyboard. A sequence such as indicates that you must hold down the key labeled Ctrl while pressing key . show config Command names appear in bold type. Commands are not case-sensitive except where specifically indicated. >>> show auto_ This typeface denotes example input and action output. >>> set Variables for which you must supply a variable_________value_are_shown_in_italic_type.___________ Associated Documentation For information on how to use the console firmware commands or for a listing of command error codes, see the following documentation: ___________________________________________________________ Title_________________________________________Order_Number_ DIGITAL Alpha VME 5/352 and 5/480 Single EK-VME54-UM Board Computer User's Manual DIGITAL Alpha VME 5/352 and 5/480 Single EK-VME54-TM Board_Computer_Technical_Reference_________________________ vi Reader Comments DIGITAL welcomes comments on this or any other manual. Send your comments to DIGITAL at the following address: Digital Equipment Corporation Shared Engineering Services 129 Parker Street PKO3-2/E30 Maynard, MA 01754-2199 vii 1 _________________________________________________________________ Overview of the Update Process The DIGITAL Alpha VME 5/xxx firmware resides in Flash Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (FEPROM) on the VME system module. FEPROMs provide non-volatile storage of the DIGITAL Alpha VME 5/xxx PALcode, diagnostics, console interface, and bootstrap. An advantage of this technology is that you can erase, reprogram, and verify the entire image in the FEPROMs in circuit without replacing parts. The FEPROM technology for DIGITAL Alpha VME5 modules requires you to erase an entire part before reprogramming it. Hence, there is a small "window of vulnerability", when the DIGITAL Alpha VME5 has inoperable firmware. Normally, this window is less than thirty seconds. Nonetheless, you should allow an update to run to completion without interruption. The only DIGITAL Alpha VME Firmware image that you can update is the Alpha SRM firmware image used for booting the DIGITAL UNIX operating system or VxWorks for DIGITAL Alpha VME kernel. The update utility first performs consistency checks to verify that the image is appropriate for the system and that the new version supersedes the current version. It then erases, reprograms, and verifies the entire FEPROM. Once the update completes successfully, you must cycle power the system to allow it to unload the firmware from the FEPROMs. You can then resume normal system operation. Overview of the Update Process 1-1 Overview of the Update Process 1.1 Supported CPU Modules and New Features 1.1 Supported CPU Modules and New Features This firmware update, V1.2, supports the following CPU modules: o Alpha VME 5/352 o Alpha VME 5/480 1.2 Operating System Firmware Revision Requirements Table 1-1 lists the operating system firmware revision requirements. Table_1-1_Operating_System_Firmware_Revision_Requirements__ SRM_Firmware__DIGITAL_UNIX__VxWorks________________________ 1.0 4.0B or 5.2 or higher higher 1.1 4.0B or 5.2 or higher higher 1.2 4.0B or 5.2 or higher ______________higher_______________________________________ 1.3 Firmware Update Files Table 1-2 lists the files that are relevant to the update process. Table_1-2_Firmware_Update_Utility_Files____________________ File__________________Blocks____Usage______________________ alphavme5_v1_2.exe 1752 Used for CD-ROM updates and BOOTP. alphavme5_v1_2.sys 1753 Bootable file Used for Maintenance Operation Protocol (MOP) network updates. (continued on next page) 1-2 Overview of the Update Process Overview of the Update Process 1.3 Firmware Update Files Table_1-2_(Cont.)_Firmware_Update_Utility_Files____________ File__________________Blocks____Usage______________________ alphavme5_v12_fw_ ~165 Firmware update utility relnote.ps release notes in PostScript format. alphavme5_v12_fw_ ~64 Firmware update utility relnote.txt release notes in ASCII text ________________________________format.____________________ 1.4 Updating the Firmware The procedure for updating the firmware takes about five minutes. Chapters 2 through 4 explain the steps associated with: o Preparing the system for the firmware update o Updating the firmware o Completing post-update instructions If you have problems with the update procedure, contact your local Customer Support Center. Overview of the Update Process 1-3 2 _________________________________________________________________ Preparing the System for a Firmware Update To prepare a DIGITAL Alpha VME system for a firmware update, you must: 1. Shut down the operating system 2. Enable updates 3. Halt the system 4. Disable the automatic boot option 5. Disable power-on diagnostics 6. Reset the system 7. Identify the current version of the firmware and PALcode This chapter explains how to complete these steps. 2.1 Shutting Down the Operating System The first step to updating the DIGITAL firmware is to place the DIGITAL Alpha VME system in a quiescent state by shutting down the operating system. ________________________ Note ________________________ Before shutting down the operating system, be sure to consult the system manager. ______________________________________________________ Preparing the System for a Firmware Update 2-1 Preparing the System for a Firmware Update 2.2 Enable Updates 2.2 Enable Updates After shutting down the operating system, enable firmware updates by closing I/O module DIP switch #2. ________________________ Note ________________________ Ensure system is powered down before removing any modules. ______________________________________________________ 2.3 Halting the System After you enable updates, halt the system by pressing the HALT button on the system's front panel. The SRM console prompt (>>>) should appear on the operator console. 2.4 Disabling Automatic Boot Option Once the console prompt appears, disable the automatic boot option (if the option is enabled) by setting the environment variable AUTO_ACTION to HALT. The following example uses the console command show to check the variable's current setting and uses the command set to set the value to HALT. >>> show auto_action auto_action BOOT >>> set auto_action halt >>> show auto_action auto_action HALT >>> 2.5 Disable Power-On Diagnostics You must also make sure that power-on diagnostics are disabled. To disable the diagnostics, use the set command to set the environment variable MODE to FASTBOOT. For example: >>> set mode fastboot >>> ________________________ Note ________________________ You should keep a record of the environment variables 2-2 Preparing the System for a Firmware Update Preparing the System for a Firmware Update 2.5 Disable Power-On Diagnostics that you set so you can set them back to their original values after completing the update. ______________________________________________________ 2.6 Resetting the System Once the environment is configured correctly, you must place the system in an initialized state by resetting the system. To reset the system, press the RESET button on the front panel. The DIGITAL Alpha VME5 should reset itself and return the console prompt (>>>). 2.7 Identifying the Current Firmware and PALcode Versions After resetting the system, identify the current version of the firmware and PALcode. To determine the versions, enter the show command with the environment variables VERSION and PAL, respectively. For example: >>> show version version V1.0 Sept 24 1997, 09:20:00 >>> show pal pal VMS PALcode V1.19-8 pal OSF PALcode V1.21-8 >>> Preparing the System for a Firmware Update 2-3 3 _________________________________________________________________ Updating the Firmware You can update the firmware from either of the following: o CD-ROM o A network server ________________________ Note ________________________ Be sure to wait for updates to run to completion without interruption. ______________________________________________________ 3.1 Updating the Firmware from CD-ROM To update the firmware from CD-ROM: 1. Power down the DIGITAL Alpha VME5 system. 2. Connect the proper CD-ROM drive to the SCSI bus. 3. Use the show device command to verify the CD-ROM drive is configured and installed correctly. 4. Insert the firmware upgrade CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. 5. Boot the Firmware Update Utility. 6. Update the firmware. Sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.2 explain how to boot the Firmware Update Utility and update the firmware. Updating the Firmware 3-1 Updating the Firmware 3.1 Updating the Firmware from CD-ROM 3.1.1 Booting the Firmware Update Utility To boot the Firmware Update Utility, enter the boot command at the console prompt with the name of the CD-ROM drive in which the firmware upgrade CD-ROM has been inserted. If you do not know the name of the CD-ROM drive, you can get the name by using the show device console command. The system responds to the boot command by displaying: o System-specific (DIGITAL Alpha VME 5/xxx) "README-FIRST" information o The name of the latest Firmware Update Utility boot file o The prompt Bootfile:>press return to automatically load latest The following example shows how to boot the Firmware Update Utility from CD-ROM drive dka400: >>> boot dka400 (boot dka400.4.0.2.0) block 0 of dka400.4.0.2.0 is a valid boot block reading 1002 blocks from dka400.4.0.2.0 bootstrap code read in base = 12e000, image_start = 0, image_bytes = 8fc00 initializing HWRPB at 2000 initializing page table at 120000 initializing machine state setting affinity to the primary CPU jumping to bootstrap code Bootfile: At this point, press or to load the current version of the utility or type the name of a specific boot file to load a previous version of the utility. The name of the boot file changes with each new release. For example: Bootfile: VMS PALcode V1.19, OSF PALcode X1.21-8 3-2 Updating the Firmware Updating the Firmware 3.1 Updating the Firmware from CD-ROM starting console on CPU 0 initialized idle PCB initializing semaphores initializing heap initial heap 200c0 memory low limit = 132000 heap = 200c0, 17fc0 initializing driver structures initializing idle process PID XDELTA not enabled. initializing file system initializing timer data structures lowering IPL CPU 0 speed is 2.08 ns (481MHz) create dead_eater create poll create timer create powerup 128 Meg of system memory 2MB Bcache probing hose 0, PCI bus 0, slot 1 -- ewa -- DECchip 21040-AA bus 0, slot 2 -- pka -- NCR 53C810 entering idle loop Skipping powerup tests... AlphaVME 5/480 Common Console V1.1-0, built on Dec 23 1997 at 17:09:28 >>> 3.1.2 Updating the Firmware After booting the image of the Firmware Update Utility, update the firmware on the DIGITAL Alpha VME5 module by issuing the update command. For example: >>> update update -path -alphavme -target console new: 1.1-0 Note: The update path specified may be different than this example. Note: Module DIP Switch #2 must be closed to enable Updates ! FEPROM UPDATE UTILITY -----> CAUTION <----- EXECUTING THIS PROGRAM WILL CHANGE YOUR CURRENT ROM! Do you really want to continue [Y/N] ? : y Updating the Firmware 3-3 Updating the Firmware 3.1 Updating the Firmware from CD-ROM DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INTERRUPT PROGRAM EXECUTION! DOING SO MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF OPERABLE STATE. The program will take, at most, two or three minutes. Erasing the target flash device... ........ Erasure completed. Programming... ........ Programming completed Verifying... Update successful Note: Module DIP Switch #2 should be OPENED to disable Updates! >>> ________________________ Note ________________________ When updating the flash ROMs on DIGITAL Alpha VME modules, the output text that is displayed is dependent on the CPU being used and may differ from the preceding example. ______________________________________________________ 3.2 Updating the Firmware from a Network Server To update the firmware from a network server: 1. Copy the MOP and BOOTP loadable files from the CD-ROM onto your server system. 2. Update MOP (.sys) . 3. Update BOOTP (.exe) . 3.2.1 Copying MOP and BOOTP Loadable Files from the CD-ROM The first step to updating the firmware from a network server is to copy the MOP and BOOTP loadable files from the CD-ROM to your DIGITAL UNIX or openVMS server system. The .sys and .exe files are located on the CD in the ISO 9660 file structure. To access this file structure on a VMS system, the CD must be mounted using the following command: $ mount/media=cd [diskdrivename] UPDATE_V53 3-4 Updating the Firmware Updating the Firmware 3.2 Updating the Firmware from a Network Server On a VMS system, the files are located in the directory [ALPHAVME5]. On a DIGITAL UNIX system, the files are located in directory /ALPHAVME5/. If you are using an Information Server, the console image resides in the directory [sys0.sysexe] directory on the CD-ROM. ________________________ Note ________________________ The file names change with each new release. ______________________________________________________ Copy the MOP loadable file (.sys) to the MOM$LOAD directory of the server and enable MOP services. Copy the BOOTP loadable file (.btp) to the appropriate area on the server and enable BOOTP services. 3.2.2 Booting and Updating MOP Issue the following update command, to Boot the MOP: >>> boot -file alphavme5_v1_2 -flags 0,a0 -protocol mop -device ewa0 boot ewa0.0.1.0 -file alphavme5_v1_2 -flags 0,a0 Trying MOP boot. ..... Network load complete. Host name: host responding to MOP request Host address: address of above host Note: Module DIP Switch #2 must be CLOSED to enable Updates! FEPROM UPDATE UTILITY -----> CAUTION <----- EXECUTING THIS PROGRAM WILL CHANGE YOUR CURRENT ROM! Do you really want to continue [Y/N] ? : y DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INTERRUPT PROGRAM EXECUTION! DOING SO MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF OPERABLE STATE. The program will take at most several minutes. Updating the Firmware 3-5 Updating the Firmware 3.2 Updating the Firmware from a Network Server Erasing the target flash device... ........ Erasure completed. Programming... ........ Programming completed Verifying... Update successful Note: Module DIP Switch #2 should be OPENED to disable Updates! >>> ________________________ Note ________________________ When updating the flash ROMs on DIGITAL Alpha VME5 modules, the output text that is displayed is dependent on the CPU being used and may differ from the preceding example. ______________________________________________________ 3.2.3 Updating BOOTP To update with BOOTP, issue the following commands from the Alpha VME console prompt after the appropriate EXE file has been loaded into the server area.: >>> set ewa0_protocols BOOTP boot ewa0 boot ewa0.0.1.0 -flags 0 Trying BOOTP boot 3-6 Updating the Firmware Updating the Firmware 3.2 Updating the Firmware from a Network Server Broadcasting BOOTP Request Received BOOTP Packet File Name is: /var/adm/ris/alphavme5_v1_2.exe local inet address: x.x.x.x.x. (IP address of Alpha VME module) remote inet address: x.x.x.x.x (IP address of RIS server) TFTP Read File Name: /var/adm/alphavme5_v1_2.exe) netmask = 255.0.0.0 Server is on same subnet as client. ................. bootstrap code read in base = 10a000, image_start = 0, image_bytes = f4800 initializing HWRPB AT 2000 initializing page table at fc000 initializing machine state setting affinity to the primary CPU jumping to bootstrap code VMS PALcode V1.20-8, OSF PALcode V1.22-8 bootstrap code read in base = 142000, image_start = 0, image_bytes = db000 initializing HWRPB at 2000 initializing page table at 134000 initializing machine state setting affinity to the primary CPU jumping to bootstrap code starting console on CPU 0 initialized idle PCB initializing semaphores initializing heap initial heap 200c0 memory low limit = 1b2000 heap = 200c0, 17fc0 initializing driver structures initializing idle process PID XDELTA bot enabled initializing file system initializing timer data structures lowering IPL CPU 0 speed is 2.08 ns (481MHz) create dead_eater create poll create powerup 128 Meg of system memory 2MB Bcache probing hose 0, PCI Updating the Firmware 3-7 Updating the Firmware 3.2 Updating the Firmware from a Network Server bus 0, slot 1 -- ewa -- DECchip 21040-AA bus 0, slot 2 -- pka -- NCR 53C810 entering idle loop Skipping poweruop tests... AlphaVME 5/480 Common Console V1.1-0, built on Dec 23 1997 at 09:20:00 >>> (>>>) update update -path alphavme -target console new: 1.1-0 Note: Module DIP switch must be CLOSED to enable updates ! FEPROM UPDATE UTILITY -----> CAUTION <----- EXECUTING THIS PROGRAM WILL CHANGE YOUR CURRENT ROM! Do you really want to continue [Y/N] ? : y DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INTERRUPT PROGRAM EXECUTION! DOING SO MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF OPERABLE STATE. The program will take, at most, two or three minutes. Erasing the target flash device... ........ Erasure completed. Programming... ........ Programming completed Verifying... Update successful Note: Module DIP Switch #2 should be OPENED to disable Updates! >>> ________________________ Note ________________________ When updating the flash ROMs on DIGITAL Alpha VME5 modules, the output text that is displayed is dependent on the CPU being used and may differ from the preceding example. ______________________________________________________ 3-8 Updating the Firmware 4 _________________________________________________________________ Post-Update Instructions When you finish updating the firmware, you must: 1. Restore environment variables, such as AUTO_ACTION and MODE, to their original state. 2. Open module DIP switch #2 to disable further updates of the console image. 3. Cycle power or reset the system to unload the FEPROMs and start running the new firmware. 4. Reboot the operating system. If the update fails, contact your local Customer Support Center. Post-Update Instructions 4-1